Kyrgyzstan through the lens of foreign students

February 19 in the foyer of the main building of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. the first President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin, the opening of a photo exhibition took place «Kyrgyzstan – country of heavenly mountains and kind hearts». It was preceded by a photo competition announced by the Institute of Russian Language KRSU on February 1 of this year for foreign citizens who have ever visited Kyrgyzstan and captured on camera its landscapes, city attractions, the beauty of its cultural heritage, images of rural and urban residents, as well as interhuman relations.

The condition for participation was not only the ability to see beauty in the camera lens, but also knowledge of the Russian language. It was necessary to demonstrate it by writing a short essay that would begin with the words «I love Kyrgyzstan because...». In them, foreign citizens declared their love for the Land of Heavenly Mountains, admired the richness of its cultural heritage, noted the friendliness and tolerance of Kyrgyzstanis and expressed hope that someday Kyrgyzstan would become one of the most prosperous countries in the world.

<TAG1>For the majority of foreign citizens arriving in Kyrgyzstan, the Russian language is a bridge to the world of cultural diversity of this country, a tool for its knowledge and communication, «the organizers emphasized. – We wanted to emphasize this connection when working on the concept of the competition–.

Citizens of 8 countries took part in the photo competition:

Hsu Tsui Ping (Taiwan)

Ndapa Bezar Angelina Medina (Philippines)

Meng Fan Bing (China)

Dong Weiting (China)

Li Aiay (China)

Shi Shuqin (China)

Chi Kim Ken (Australia)

Jennifer Martiniak (Germany)

Wung King Fung Kate (Hong Kong)

Chan Man Ki (Hong Kong)

Lam Hiu Lai (Hong Kong)

Liu Wun Kwan (Hong Kong)

Yulia Pomaznaya (Russia)

Anastasia Arsentyeva (Russia)

Pappana Naveen (India)

Gandhi Someswara Rao (India)

All photographs and essays sent to the competition turned out to be so interesting and original that it was decided to place all the works at the exhibition. They were presented in five categories: «Kyrgyzstan in persons», «Culture without borders», «Life in the frame», «Dream City», «Ala-Too Land». One of the photographs was placed on the cover of a new special issue of the information and analytical magazine «Russian Word in Kyrgyzstan». Its author was a citizen of Hong Kong, a student of Russian as a foreign language courses at the Institute of Russian Language KRSU Vung King Fung Kate. The rector solemnly presented him with a copy of the publication, noting the author’s creative talent and wishing him further success. All participants in the photo exhibition were awarded personalized certificates.

The goals of the events were to deepen the perception and understanding of multinational Kyrgyzstan by foreigners, popularize its national traditions and culture, create interest in the Russian language through creative activity, as well as develop a tolerant attitude towards foreign applicants and students.

The exhibition will also continue its work in electronic format.